HEALTH ISSUE in Maine Coon
HCM - Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a genetic disease that affects cats, dogs, pigs, and people. How it is passed on in generations is still not clearly discovered. Since the 1970's it is known that HCM is the common cause of heart failure, thrombus, and sudden death in cats. A major study has been done on Maine Coon cats in the USA which indicates that HCM in these cats seemed to be inherited by a single dominant gene. This genetic variant is still associated with increased risk for the cat to develop HCM but is today more considered to be a genetic risk factor for the disease, than direct causative. Now we also know that the disease could be caused by several different mutations
HCM is characterized by an abnormal thickness of the heart muscle, mainly at the height of the left side of the heart. Because of the thickening of the heart muscle, the heart becomes less elastic, through which the heart can fill itself less easily. A second consequence is that there is less space for the blood left in the left ventricle, which causes a smaller amount of blood to be pumped around at each heartbeat than normal. The thick heart muscle can create turbulence in the blood or the leaking of some valves. This can then cause a heart murmur, which can be heard by a vet with a stethoscope.
Cats with HCM can get fluid in or around their lungs which can lead to difficulty breathing. Other animals may show no signs at all, but they can suddenly drop dead, mostly because of a sudden very severe rhythm disturbance. Some cats develop blood clots that may cause paralysis of the hind legs.
HCM is not a congenital defect, but a disease that develops very slowly. Cats that have HCM very often show no signs before they are six months old, and it can take several years before you can make a diagnosis of HCM. Therefore you must have a specialist performing an echocardiography report on several occasions.
https://www.pawpeds.com/cms/index.php/en/health-programmes/hcm/info
SMA - Spinal Muscular Atrophy in Maine Coon Cats
SMA is an inherited disorder affecting the skeletal muscles of the trunk and limbs. Loss of neurons in the first few months of life leads to muscle weakness and atrophy that first becomes apparent at 3-4 months of age. Affected kittens develop an odd gait with a sway of the hindquarters and stand with the hocks nearly touching. They may also stand with toes out in the front. By 5-6 months of age they are too weak in the hindquarters to readily jump up on furniture and often have a clumsy landing when jumping down. The long hair Maine Coon may hide it, but careful feeling of the limbs will reveal reduced muscle mass. Affected kittens are not in pain, they eat and play avidly, they are not incontinent, and most live very comfortably as indoor cats for many years.
https://www.pawpeds.com/cms/index.php/en/health-programmes/sma/info
Pkdef - Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency
Pyruvate kinase (PK) is an enzyme critical to the anaerobic glycolytic pathway of energy production in the erythrocyte. If PK is deficient in erythrocytes they are unable to sustain normal cell metabolism and hence are destroyed prematurely. This deficiency manifests as an hemolytic anemia of variable severity.
PK deficiency is inherited as an autosomal recessive condition. Carriers with one defective and one normal gene for pyruvate kinase do not have any clinical signs of disease and live normal lives.
https://www.pawpeds.com/cms/index.php/en/health-programmes/pkdef
HD - Feline Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia is a hereditary defect in the socket joint (in the pelvis) which means that it is not as deep as it normally should be. Because of this, the ball does not fit exactly in the socket joint and the surfaces begin to rub against each other, causing the cartilage to degenerate. Then the joint surface is made up solely of bone (the cartilage having been worn away) leaving a bone-against-bone joint surface which is painful for the cat. The problem is that the body cannot renew the cartilage, and the body tries to repair the damage by increasing bone production which only serves to make the problem worse. Cats in general are very good at not showing pain and can suffer from HD without limping at all. Instead, they may move more carefully or less than cats normally do, and may also avoid jumping. Cats with a mild degree of HD may not suffer at all.
https://www.pawpeds.com/cms/index.php/en/health-programmes/hd